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9 days in croatia, help please.
Hello Fodorites, we had planned Croatia trip 2 years ago as a 13 day trip, but had to cancel it due to unforseen circumstances . We are planning this trip again but with only about 9 days in hand. We are landing in zagrab on May 17 Friday at 11:30 am and taking flight back to US on may 27 th Monday at 6 am from DBV. Please suggest an optimum itinerary for this period. We are ruling out Istria due to lack of time, postponing it for a future trip. I have a high level picture in mind, if you can help filling in some details. May 17 thZAG MAY 18: Evening drive to plitvice, overnight at Plitvice. May 19 : Late afternoon, drive to either Zadar or Split. 20-26 to be spent in this area, with 26th night in DBV. Can we stay near the airport on 26th night, so as to catch flight at 6 am? Please help fill in this time period. If possible , we want to do Bosnia, Montenegro, possible day trip to one of the islands. Is Karka park possible? When can we return the car in DBV? Looking forward to getting great suggestions from you guys. thanks. |
Additional thought
On a second thought, we can consider Rovinj/Istria ,and let go Mostar/bosnia if thats feasible. So please give your ideas including Istria also. |
Additional thoughts
On a second thought we would like to consoder Istria and let go Bosnia. So please include Istria in your ideas. Thanks |
What do you want to get most out of the trip? What draws you to the region?
Providing your interests, travel style, how you will be traveling (public transport? Rental car?) are all information we need to assist. I suggest you start with some basic guidebook research, especially on the exact regions you're thinking about going. You do not seem to have a clear clue exactly WHERE you want to go since you posted multiple times in such a short amount of time. Doing some research on Istria, IF that's where you want to go, should help you at least start on an itinerary you can settle on. Edited to add these thoughts as I just noticed that this is trip is scheduled for May - I am assuming next month? If so, you are running WAY short on time here. While this region isn't exactly busy-busy in May, you can expect some lodging to be limited since it is less than a month out. Also, have you booked your flights? If so, you realize that Dubrovnik is on the exact opposite end of the country, right? If you have to fly out of DBV and have already booked it - you have to get DOWN to Dubrovnik (not trying to sound snarky but there are logistics to consider). And while you can cover this amount in 9 days - you are definitely limited if you do in fact want to cover Istria along with getting down to south Dalmatian coast. While there are some ferry's and other public transport running, some schedules are not running at full operation yet in May (something to consider IF you want to explore islands). You need to do some research with the myriad of destinations you listed and how to get from points A to Z, so to speak. |
TravelNerd has given you some great advice! I'd recommend the Rough Guide in particular as a resource.
If flying into Zagreb, you definitely need a night or more there to be able to drive safely. The Plitvice Lakes now has an on-line reservation system -- see https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...-park-1665751/ Figure out a way to get at least 6 or 7 hours in the park, whether in 1 circuit or in 2 half circuits (there is a natural break). If already committed to flying out of Dubrovnik, plan on at least 1.5 days in Dubrovnik itself. That doesn't give you much time for anything else. My favorite city in Croatia is Split, and it not only has a lot to offer, but it's also a great base for surrounding areas, so consider heading there for whatever little time you have to spare. BUT as TravelNerd noted, you haven't said enough about your interests or why any of the places you mention are on your wish list for us to be helpful. Good luck! |
Thank you all. As far as our background and interests: We are a couple in 50's and our interests are mainly to see places, especially medieval towns, old architecture , history etc and natural beauty. We are not much into strenuous hiking but moderate hiking is ok. We are fairly experienced travelers having covered lot of Europe last few years. We have booked the flights already and will be travelling by car. Looking to get any more suggestions. |
I think doing the day trips to Montenegro may be easier from Dubrovnik. You can check out our trip details at https://www.diyfamilytravels.com/cat...atia-slovenia/
We started in Dubrovnik and worked our way to Istria and then to Slovenia. It was a very hectic but wonderful trip. Loved both countries. |
If you are in Istria the little towns we visited and loved were Motovun, Momjun (fantastic winery in the outskirts called Kabola with views and wine to die for) and Groznjan. We visited Istria as part of our Slovenia trip to cant advice on the rest of your Croatia itinerary.
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We are in Croatia now and are also driving. Try to get to Plitvice early. We parked in Entrance 2 and did the H walk. Took about 5 hours. Buy your tickets online in advance. Our next stop was Sibenik so we visited Zadar on the way. We saw the sites had lunch and went on to Sibenik. Weather has been spotty so on one of our gorgeous days we crammed a lot in. We went to Krka (Plitvice locals call Krka little Plitvice) early and just did the main hike, took 2.5 hours. That afternoon we caught a ferry to Zlarin to enjoy some island time. We stopped in Trogir on our way to Split. It was a Saturday and it was the first time I felt that there were a lot of tourists, there were several smaller island hopping yachts that were either visiting or picking up new groups. We’re in Split now and about to do a tour at Diocletian’s Palace but may change tour to Monday as two cruise ships just pulled in, Yikes. |
Thansks Phishers. Did you stay overnight in Plitvice? We will be driving from Rovinj, so may be we will reacj by about 10 AM.Do you need Water Sandles or regular walking shoes are good?
Also, did you consider Going to one of the big islansds, Hvar? Thanks for useful info. Have a nice time rest of your trip! Regards |
We stayed overnight at Villa Verde, very nice. Regular walking shoes. We’re spending two nights on Brac and as I write this we’re on an unplanned ferry trip to Stari Grad (Hvar) for the day. Our guide yesterday said we must check out Hvar. Yesterday was a monsoon, today clouds but less rain. We had a great private guide for Diocletian’s palace in Split. I can give you her info if you’re interested. We don’t usually do tours but this was private and she suggested so many other spots. You’re going to Love Croatia |
If you're staying near Split, then you might want to visit Krka national park, it's fairly close, only 1-hour drive away. I would choose Istria over Bosnia any time. Brijuni and Rovinj are great places to see.
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